latelenovela Chapter 372: I Remembered an Old Story
Chapter 372: I Remembered an Old Story
"When I met Concubine Wu today and heard them mention Lord Wu, I remembered an old story." Gu Jianchu adjusted his sitting posture and looked at Xie Ci'an seriously, waiting for Xie Ci'an to ask.
He knew that the Queen would find an excuse to tell him about Lord Wu.
He also saw Gu Jianchu's thoughts and asked, "What old story?"
"Yunhe once mentioned to me a murder lawsuit involving Lord Wu's son, but I just listened to it for fun at the time and didn't think much about it. I heard that Lord Wu's son fought with the woman's lover in a brothel in order to seize her, and accidentally stabbed her to death. Later, the woman disappeared, and I don't know how the matter was finally handled. I was curious at the time and asked Concubine Wu, but Concubine Wu said she didn't know. No matter how curious I was, I had to give up." Gu Jianchu said with a trace of sadness on his face.
Gu Jianchu told Xie Ci'an the story with exaggeration.
Her only goal was to reopen the investigation, and she didn't care how the story was told.
Xie Ci'an's eyes darkened, and a chill filled his body. "I didn't know such a thing existed."
"Cheng Song, arrange for someone to investigate how the incident in which the son of Lord Wu stabbed someone to death in a brothel was handled. Also, bring the officials who handled the case to see me." Xie Ci'an lifted the curtain of the carriage and gave a cold order to Cheng Song who was following beside the carriage.
I don't know why the emperor wants to re-investigate Lord Wu's family affairs.
I’m afraid it’s related to Wu Cairen’s matter.
Cheng Song spoke cautiously, "Your Majesty, I wonder whether you should arrange for the Dali Temple or the Ministry of Justice to investigate this case."
"Let the people from the Imperial City Bureau go. I remember Guyu is still free." Xie Ci'an said coldly.
Cheng Song immediately understood the importance of the matter. The Emperor and the Empress were probably going to severely punish the Wu family. After all, the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice were really just investigating an old case, but if the Imperial City Bureau intervened, that might not be the case. At the very least, their property would be confiscated and they would be exiled, and at the worst, their entire family would be executed. The Wu family had done something good, but they had to provoke the Emperor and the Empress. Now they had gotten themselves into trouble.
Guyu is a person specially arranged by the emperor to spy on the officials' disloyalty. He rarely appears in the public eye, but the emperor trusts Guyu very much. He, like Wen Zhu and others, is a brother who followed the emperor through life and death in the northwest.
After Xie Ci'an ascended the throne, they gave up fame, wealth and power and took the initiative to ask to join the Imperial City Bureau to protect Xie Ci'an's safety and help Xie Ci'an do those dirty things, realizing their own value in another way.
Cold wind kept blowing in through the opened car curtain, and Gu Jianchu couldn't help but sneeze.
Noticing Gu Jianchu's situation, Xie Ci'an quickly lowered the curtain and met Gu Jianchu's red eyes. "I just said something casually, and the emperor sent people to investigate. What if I'm wrong? Wouldn't it be a waste of the Imperial City Bureau's trip?"
Xie Ci'an held Gu Jianchu's hand with a doting smile on his face, "If you are wrong, it's just a wasted trip. If you are not wrong, we can catch the murderer. For me, it has always been better to kill by mistake than to let the murderer go."
Gu Jianchu didn't expect that Xie Ci'an would give her such absolute trust.
Everyone finally arrived at Wanguo Temple before dark.
The snow in front of Wanguo Temple had been cleared in advance. The abbot and a group of disciples were waiting in front of the door. After seeing the emperor and empress's carriage, they quickly stepped forward and greeted Xie Ci'an and Gu Jianchu together.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the meditation room is ready. It's getting late today, so Your Majesty and Your Majesty might as well move to the meditation room to rest." The host was wearing a cassock, with a amiable smile on his face and a string of Buddhist beads on his hand. He leaned sideways and made a gesture of invitation.
"Okay." Xie Ci'an supported Gu Jianchu's arm and walked towards the temple.
Gu Jianchu was wrapped in a thick rabbit fur cloak and holding a hot water bottle in his hand. Xie Ci'an held Gu Jianchu's arm with one hand and his waist with the other. Even though the snow had been cleared, Xie Ci'an was still worried, as if he was afraid that Gu Jianchu would fall to the ground.
Behind the two men were not only palace servants but also a group of monks and court officials.
The imperial guards and palace maids lived with the emperor and empress in the east courtyard, while the ministers who came with the emperor and empress were placed in the east wing.
In order to save time, the host specially arranged for Xiao Shani to take the ministers to their respective rooms, and the host personally took Gu Jianchu and Xie Ci'an to the rooms where they lived.
The room had been cleaned from top to bottom several times before the emperor and empress decided to come to the Temple of Worldly Nations.
The room was spotlessly clean. The moment I opened the door, a warm breeze hit me, accompanied by the unique scent of sandalwood from the temple.
"The Emperor sent someone to inform me in advance that the Empress was afraid of the cold. Before the Emperor and the Empress came, I arranged for someone to light a charcoal brazier in the room. In addition, the Empress is pregnant, so she must pay special attention to her diet. I specially set up a small kitchen in the side corner of this east wing for the Emperor and the Empress to use." The host followed Xie Ci'an and explained in a rambling manner.
"I understand." Xie Ci'an said coldly.
The host said tactfully, "If there is nothing else, I will not disturb the Emperor and the Empress to rest. I will take my leave first."
After saying this, the host left the room.
Xie Ci'an helped Gu Jianchu untie his cloak while asking, "After a long day of traveling, you must be exhausted, right? Do you want to rest for a while? I'll ask the kitchen to make you some light vegetarian dishes to go with the porridge. You haven't eaten much all day, and I'm afraid your body won't be able to handle it."
"Okay." Smelling the faint scent of sandalwood, she couldn't help but feel calm in her heart. Besides, she really didn't eat much today and was a little hungry now.
Hearing Gu Jianchu's agreement, Xie Ci'an immediately arranged for the chef to do it.
In this Buddhist temple, you are not allowed to eat meat, only vegetarian food. Fortunately, they brought the chefs from the imperial kitchen here, and they can cook vegetarian dishes in different ways, unlike the little nuns in the Buddhist temple, who only cook big pots of food that can barely fill their stomachs. But Gu Jianchu is pregnant now, and has a poor appetite, so she might not like to eat.
After giving the instructions, Xie Ci'an continued to help Gu Jianchu take off his cloak, but before he finished taking off the cloak, Wen Zhu came over.
Wen Zhu didn't go directly into the room, but tactfully knocked on the door. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the murderer who threw Concubine Wu's body down the mountain has been apprehended. After questioning, they are Concubine Wu's aunt and cousin. They are currently being held in the Zen room in the front yard."